Athlete's Pride: Can Gossip Destroy It?
by AnimangaxKoneko
Summary: This is a sequel to my first fanfic, Expressing it Out. It is still about Asou and Mikoto's relationship, and how they gradually progress even further!
1. A Part Time Job

Athlete's Pride: Can Gossip Destroy It?

Chapter 1: A Part-time Job

This is a sequel to my first fanfic, Expressing It Out, so it still revolves around the relationship between Asou and Mikoto. Enjoy!

* * *

It was Saturday morning, and Mikoto Suou was training her hardest at the Shoalin Dojo. Her kenpo skills had improved, and she was currently doing one-on-one training with Haruki Hanai, a childhood friend who also excelled in kenpo. 

"URGH!" Hanai suddenly grunted, Mikoto had arm locked tossed him onto the ground.

"Hanai! You're skills are dulling! I thought you wanted to get stronger for Yakumo Tsukamoto!" Mikoto teased. She knew very well that Hanai had a desperate crush on Tenma Tsukamoto's younger sister, Yakumo Tsukamoto.

"Stop it Mikoto! I bet you aren't the only one in love here!" Hanai shot back with his infamous, serious manner.

"W-What? What do you mean? You think I'm in love with somebody, Hanai?" Mikoto sputtered back at him, her face turning pink too.

"Are you kidding? We live near each other! I heard Asou Hiroyoshi call your name right outside your front door last Sunday!" Hanai exclaimed, his finger pointing firmly at Mikoto. "Plus, your face is pink! We grew up together, Suou, I can tell if you're hiding something or not!"

Mikoto's jaw dropped when she heard what Hanai just said. Her head was spinning and her whole expression was filled with shock, surprise, and embarrassment.

"Just because Asou was ringing my doorbell last time doesn't mean I like him!" Mikoto said defiantly, "I just beat you in kenpo! Don't think you have found my soft side, Hanai!"

"We'll see, Suou, you may be strong, smart, and athletic, but remember, you are a girl too (a tomboy, that is)!" Hanai replied as he stood up. After saying that to Mikoto, he started to head out of the training hall.

"Wait, Hanai! No one knows about it, right? I mean the fact that Asou was outside my front door last Sunday?" Mikoto, who was still in panic, asked.

Hanai halted, turned around, and said, "Suou, do you think I'm the kind of person who would spread a rumor?"

"Uh, no…but just don't say anything about it to anyone, okay?" Mikoto answered cautiously. _I just hope he didn't spread it around! I hate being in the center of gossip in school! Plus, there are enough perverts in the school already! _

---

As Mikoto was on her way home, thinking about how bad things would be if everyone in school knew the truth, she heard her cellphone, and picked it up.

"Hello? This is Mikoto, who is it?" Mikoto talked into the phone.

"Hey! Suou! I forgot to tell you something important back at the dojo!" Hanai's loverpowering voice suddenly came booming into Mikoto's ear.

"Okay, now what, Hanai?" Mikoto sighed, extending the phone farther away from her ear to avoid withstanding Hanai's voice volume.

"Well, you know one of the students at the dojo recently got a part-time job. He's working after kenpo practice every weekend."

"Okay good to know, but why are you telling me this?" Mikoto, who never bothered to look into other dojo students' life, inquired curiously.

"You know, Suou, it might be a good idea for you to get a part-time job too. I mean, all you have is the kenpo dojo as an extracurricular activity, right?" Hanai said, "Try getting a part-time job, I worked during last summer break, it was a pretty good experience! Therefore, I as CLASS 2-C's PRESIDENT recommend it to you!"

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea, Hanai, you do have some sense in you at times, you know?" Mikoto laughed.

"Well, that's all I've got to say to you, see you in school!" Hanai quickly hung up the phone, and Mikoto heard the line disconnect.

_Oh well, I guess I'll take a look around at the bookstore later. Maybe I 'll find some part-time catalogs there! _

Mikoto reached her house and went in to wash up. After refreshing herself by changing into her normal clothes and out of her dojo uniform, Mikoto exited her house once more. Walking down the street toward the bookstore, she wondered what kind of job would await her ahead.

---

Meanwhile, as Mikoto was on the way to the bookstore, Asou was cooking Chinese food as his part-time job in a Chinese restaurant.

"Hey Asou! Keep it up and this restaurant will make a bunch!" The manager, Chen, called as he passed by the kitchen. "You're friends come here often, don't they? Well we've gotta owe that to you too!"

Asou turned around and just gave his boss a little nod, then he turned back around to continue cooking.

_Suou must be doing some kenpo training now, I wonder what she's doing after that. Maybe I'll give her a call later…_

"Asou-senpai! A customer wants a bowl of wonton noodle soup!" Sara Adiemus, a freshman in Yagami High School, suddenly called from the shopfront. She was also a part-time worker at the restaurant, under Chen's supervision.

"Okay, I'll get it done in a few minutes!" Asou called back, and returned to his cooking..

"Oi! Asou! I'm running to the bookstore for a bit! I need to pick up an order I made a few weeks ago!" The boss hollered as he poked his head into the kitchen again.

"Okay, Sara and I'll handle the restaurant for awhile then! You can go and run your errands!" Asou called back and nodded.

"Then I'm gone!" The manager gave Asou a thumbs-up, and exited through the restaurant's backdoor.

---

Mikoto arrived at the bookstore and entered. Several people were either examining the numerous books on the shelves or purchasing some at the register.

"Excuse me? Do you have any catalogs on part-time jobs that may be available in the local area?" Mikoto asked a nearby worker.

"Ah, yes, right over there!" The worker said, lifting his head from a book box and pointing toward the back shelf.

Mikoto walked to the shelf, feeling eager to read about the various kinds of part-time jobs.She picked up a book, and started to skim through the pages.

"Miss? I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with that worker over there. Are you looking for a job?" A short, partly bald man suddenly spoke to Mikoto. Hearing someone's voice behind her, she jumped.

"Um y-yes, yes I am, why are you asking me this?" Mikoto answered warily, curious to hear what the man might say next. _Why is this old man talking to me? Don't tell me he's a pervert…_

"Since you're looking for a part-time job, I have one just for you at a little Chinese restaurant of mine. I already have two employees busying themselves every weekend, it would be great if you will be able to go and help out!" The man, still smiling, suggested.

"Um, what restaurant might that be?" Mikoto asked, loosening up to the man standing before her. _He doesn't seem harmful, I can tell by his smile! Maybe this is my chance to get a job! _

"It's called Mei-Li restaurant, a Chinese restaurant not far from here!" The man answered.

"Oh yeah, I've heard of that place before! Some classmates of mine were talking about it in school!" Mikoto exclaimed, "I would love to help out, if it's all right to look around first!"

A few seconds later, they were exiting the bookstore, and walking through the marketplace. Mikoto was excited, as she followed the old man down the market streets.

---

About ten minutes later, they arrived in front of a neat looking restaurant with a "Mei-Li Restaurant" sign in front of it.

"Here we are, uh, may I ask for your name?" The man brightly said, turning his head toward Mikoto.

"My name is Mikoto, Mikoto Suou!" Mikoto confidently replied, "You can call me Mikoto if you want!"

"All right, Mikoto! My name is Chen, you may call me boss, or Chen!" Chen said, beckoning Mikoto through the entrance.

"I'm back! Hey! Both of you come here for a moment! There's new part-timer I want you two to meet!" Chen shouted, tugging Mikoto behind him.

"Oh! Welcome back! How did it go?" A pretty voice of a girl came ringing into the room.

Soon, a familiar girl with a tray clamped under one arm stepped into the room, Mikoto gasped.

"Suou-senpai! So you're the new worker here! Nice to meet you! We've never talked at school, but I'm Yakumo Tsukamoto's friend, Sara Adiemus!" Sara said happily as she introduced herself."Asou-senpai! Suou-senpai is here! She's the new part-timer! Come on out!"She suddenly called.

Mikoto's heart started to pound when she heard the Asou's name. When Asou finally stepped into the room, he just froze and stared at Mikoto.

"Uh, yo, Asou!" Mikoto said, feeling embarrassed.

"Hi, Suou, you're going to be working here?" Asou, still a little shocked, greeted her.

"Yeah, so…from now on, let's work together, shall we?" Mikoto said, giving him a shy smile.

"Wow! Whoa…this is a small world! You three know each other?" Chen asked, looking surprised that he was the only new person whom Mikoto had to meet that day.

"Yeah, boss! We all go to Yagami High School!" Sara said brightly and laughed. Then she leaned over to Mikoto and whispered, "Try on the waitress uniform, Suou-senpai! It's really cool!"

Mikoto blushed, she had always been a tomboyish girl, and now she was finally going to wear something girly.

"Mikoto! Why don't you go to the back lounge? I think there's an extra uniform there! Go try it on!" Chen suggested as if he had been reading Mikoto's mind all along.

"O-Okay!" Mikoto agreed, her heartbeat hadn't been able to slow down, and she stiffly walked toward the lounge in the back.

---

After Mikoto came out of the lounge, dressed in the exact same thing Sara was wearing, Chen clapped his hands.

"My, my, Mikoto! You look so cute! Maybe that'll attract more male customers in the future!" Chen joked.

Mikoto's face turned slightly pink as she shook her head. She soon noticed Asou staring at her in awe, his face was also slightly red.

"Asou-senpai! What's wrong? You're face is a bit red!" Sara teased, noticing Asou dazing off.

"Huh! Oh, I'm fine! I'm going to work now, Suou!" Asou gave Mikoto a small wave, and walked toward the kitchen.

"C'mon, Suou-senpai! Let's try our best together from today on!" Sara smiled, tugging Mikoto's arm.

Mikoto just smiled back and observed her surroundings. _I think it's going to be pretty interesting every weekend from now on! _

* * *

(End of Chapter 1) Chapter 2: Found Out! A Rumor Only Lasts For Seventy-Five Days will be posted later on! Please review! 

"


	2. A Rumor Can Only Last for 75 Days

Athlete's Pride: Can Gossip Destroy It?

Chapter 2: Found Out! A Rumor Only Lasts for Seventy-Five Days

Okay, for the title "A Rumor Only Lasts for Seventy-Five Days" it might sound pretty strange because few have probably heard it before. I just heard it in some anime I watched but I can't recall which anime at the moment, so please bear with me!

* * *

"Suou-senpai! Can you bring this over to table two, please?" Sara handed Mikoto a tray of dumplings, and pointed toward the door's direction. "Table two is that one, second from the door!" 

"Okay!" Mikoto answered, she took the tray and walked toward the table. It's only been a day since she entered Mei-Li restaurant as a part-timer, and she was already getting used to working with Sara and Asou in the restaurant. "Sorry to keep you waiting, sir!" Mikoto chanted as she placed the food in front of the customer.

"Mikoto's doing a fine job, don't you think so, Asou?" Chen said, observing Mikoto's every move. "She's quite strong too, carrying all those heavy dishes on a single tray by herself!"

"Yeah, she's perfect for this type of stuff…." Asou absentmindedly nodded.

Suddenly, the door opened, and an immensely loud, jeering voice came spreading into the restaurant.

"I was TELLING you! Our school's basketball team is the best! Seriously, and did I mention all the cute girls in our grade and the athletes in 2-C?" Suga Ryuuhei babbled loudly into his cellphone.

Asou's face looked as if it had been struck by a flaming arrow. Hurrying out of the kitchen and into the front, he grabbed Suga's arm and dragged him to the back.

"Have-to-go-I'll-call-you-later-bye!" Suga, who saw Asou's pain-stricken face, quickly hung up the phone.

"Oi! Suga! How many times have you been here and how many times have I told you to KEEP YOUR VOLUME DOWN when entering the restaurant? I bet those times number greater than the times you've BEEN here!" Asou hissed furiously as he tightly gripped Suga's arm.

"Oww! Not the arm! That arm is needed to play basketball, you know! Fine, I'll try to be quieter, but LEGGO OF ME FIRST!" Suga whined, struggling to get out of Asou's grip.

When Asou finally released Suga's arm, he immediately led Suga back into the store, and sat him down firmly in front of the kitchen counter.

"Hey, man! Was that Suou I just saw? Man, she looks so cute in that uniform! Is she a new part-timer here?" Suga asked, lowering his voice so only Asou could hear.

"Yeah, she and Sara get along pretty well here." Asou said dully as he set a bowl of noodles in front of Suga. "Here!A bowl of ramen, now eat."

"You're so lucky to have Suou with you during work! Why do you always get the girls huddling over you! I'm so jealous!" Suga said, he chewed so noisily that Sara flinched when she saw them. "Wait 'til the school hears about this! You'll be even more famous!"

---

Meanwhile, a few tables away stood Mikoto, who was taking a customer's order when she saw the incident with Suga. Trying hard to remain calm, Mikoto finished serving the customer and headed toward the kitchen counter.

"Yo! Suou! Having fun being a part-timer with Asou?" Suga said, his mouth was still full of ramen.

"Eh, hi, Suga. Why are you here?" Mikoto was disgusted at Suga's eating habits, but she greeted him anyway.

"You two look so good together, you know that, Suou?" Suga said, chewing with his mouth open. Asou blushed, "Oh look, man! You suddenly turned pink! First time you react toward a girl, you know! Well I guess there's a first for everything!"

Mikoto just ignored him and turned to Asou, "One order of wonton noodles, please!" she requested.

"Okay." Asou didn't even turn to look at Suou, but wheeled around to the stove.

"Suga, when you're done eating, please behave yourself, or you might get it at school on Monday!"

Suga mumbled an "okay." and continued to finish his ramen. Mikoto just stood there, dumbfounded, for a few seconds, and then went off to welcome a new customer who just came in.

---

After another day of part-time work, it was finally Monday morning. Mikoto let out a breath of relief as she reached the school gate.

" 'Morning Mikoto! I heard you got a part-time job!" Tenma squealed, bouncing up and down the second Mikoto slid open the classroom door.

"Wha-? What? How did you know? I don't recall telling you guys about that!" Mikoto wailed, dropping her bag onto her desk.

"Well, it was what Suga hollered this morning when he was having basketball practice with Asou!" Eri said as she and Akira joined the two at Mikoto's desk.

"It's a part-time job with ASOU too! Mikoto! You're such a lucky girl!" Tenma said, nudging playfully at Mikoto's arm.

Mikoto just kept silent. A thought swept through her mind as the bell soon rang. The class took their seats and the teacher came in to start the lecture. _Does the whole school know? Looking back from that basketball match, Asou seems to be pretty popular…if it's a rumor about him, it's sure to get around pretty fast... _

A small paper ball suddenly came landing onto Mikoto's desk. Surprised, Mikoto opened the note and read:

"_I heard Suga holler something about you and Asou this morning during basketball practice! Good luck with him during part-time work!" _

After she finished reading the note, Mikoto turned her head, hoping to find out who threw her the note. Eri and Tenma looked perplexed at what the teacher was saying, and Akira was calmly reading her book at her desk. _I don't think it's those three, they look too occupied to be sending me such a note. Also, weren't we just talking about this a few minutes ago? _

Mikoto turned her head the opposite way, and saw Sagano Megumi grinning at her. Sagano Megumi was known to be a really good female basketball player in 2-C, and also for probing into other people's relationships in school. _Great, _Mikoto thought,_ if Sagano knows, then there's a hundred percent chance that the rest of the school knows too! _

Turning her head back around, Mikoto decided to forget about it and focus on the teacher's lecture. _I'll find more about this after class! _

---

Forty-five minutes later, class ended and it was breaktime. Mikoto quietly stalked over to Sagano's desk and asked, "Did you throw that note over to me?"

"Yup! Congrats on your relationship, Mikoto! Asou is a terrific athlete, he matches you perfectly!" Sagano said, beckoning for Mikoto to come closer.

"You know," Sagano whispered into Mikoto's ear, "I heard that he was extremely popular with the girls in school, both first-years and second-years! You're pretty lucky! Suga said that Asou blushed when you came!"

"What? Suga told you all this? Oh, I'm so gonna to kill that stub-headed-!" Mikoto ferociously glared toward Suga's seat."Wait!" Sagano interrupted Mikoto silently, "Just let it go, Mikoto! Rumors aren't that bad!"

"Oh yes they are! I don't like being in the center of attention, you know!" Mikoto said sternly, a bit louder this time.

Mikoto soon stood up from her kneeling position next to Sagano's desk, and stalked out of the room.

"Hey did you hear...Mei-Li restaurant…." A freshman girl whispered to another girl, "Yeah, Yeah! I heard! Asou-senpai and Suou-senpai...!"

Mikoto peered at them strangely but said nothing and walked on.

"Hey you know! I heard Asou-senpai finally got a girlfriend!"

"Really? How did you know? "

"Oh, I think some senpai told me, or so I heard!"

"Wow! Asou-senpai's so cool though! Maybe we can go see him on weekends at the restaurant!"

"Yeah! Good idea! Now we know where he works!"

A squeal was heard, and Mikoto saw a huge group of girls in front of her. Mikoto noticed that a majority of them were from the group that was cheering loudly for Asou during the last basketball match. The girls saw Mikoto approaching, and glared at her coolly as she walked past.

"We'll be having a lot of customers this weekend…." Mikoto muttered to herself as she walked on. _Those girls... don't they know that they should treat their upperclassmen with respect? Oh well, I think the phrase for this is "love conquers all"? _

"Hey look it's Suou-senpai! Rumor has it that Asou-senpai likes her!" Another freshman girl whispered to her friend and pointed her finger at Mikoto.

Refusing to hear another word of the rumor, Mikoto increased her a pace and finally reached the rooftop.

As her arms hung over the railing on the roof floor, Mikoto thought about how she was going to deal with all the gossip about her.

_Wow…Asou is pretty popular! Would people be surprised now if they see me talking to Asou at school? Once they found out about Asou and my part-time job, I became some celebrity to everyone or something….excluding those bratty freshman girls! _

---

Half an hour later, Mikoto heard the bell sound, and she knew it was time to go back to class. _I still have no idea how to deal with that gossip! Were we that snobby and obsessed when Tenma, Eri, and I were freshman last year? Forget about Akira, she may be sly and sneaky, but she surely wasn't a snob! _

When Mikoto finally reached her classroom, she went through the door and sat down at her desk."Hey Mikoto! Where have you been? I was pretty worried because ASOU came up to me asking where you went!" Eri said, rushing over to Mikoto's desk, looking quite annoyed.

"He was? I was on the rooftop. I can't stand this rumor and gossip! Do you have any clue how to get rid of it?" Mikoto groaned as she looked desperately at her friend.

"Uh no…but I heard a lot of people say that 'one rumor can only last seventy-five days'!" Eri said brightly, hoping that that would cheer Mikoto up. However, Mikoto's desperate look didn't fade, and it was clearly shown on her face that what Eri said was completely effortless.

"Take your seats, please!" The teacher said as he entered the room. Class resumed and Eri sharply returned to her seat. Mikoto just sat there and stared at the blackboard, her mind completely occupied with mixed thoughts about the rumor and the teacher's lecture.

Mikoto sighed in her seat, her back slouched, and she started lightly tapping her pen against the surface of her notebook. _What's going to become of this stupid rumor? __I want to know why Asou wanted to see me too! _She wondered as she impatiently scribbled down some notes onto her book. After some inner frustration, Mikoto sighed again and decided once more to focus on class.

---

After several yawns, pages of notes, and the teacher's constant " 2-C! Please settle down, class is still in session!" alerts, class was finally over. Mikoto stretched her arms out and got out of her seat. P.E. was next, and it was something Mikoto excelled in. As she was gathering up her stuff, she saw Asou approaching her as everyone departed the room.

"Hey, Suou, you've been hearing that rumor, huh? You look really stressed..." Asou said, looking as if he was used to all the rumor about him. "Me too, I don't really like being talked about a lot in school, so I hope it's not getting to you too much!" "Anyway, look on the bright side, Sawachika told me that one rumor's life span is about seventy-five days."

_Hello? Seventy-five days is longer than you think! I can't believe_ _Eri talked to him too! What the heck was she thinking? _Mikoto thought, feeling even more frustrated.

"Yeah, she told me that too. Look, I have to go change into gym clothes now, I think you should too! See you later!" Mikoto replied as she grabbed her bag. Shooting Asou a small smile, she crossed over to the door and left the room.

* * *

(End of Chapter 2) I'll try to post Chapter 3 later! Please review ) 


	3. The Racket at Mei Li

Athlete's Pride: Can Gossip Destroy It?

Chapter 3: The Racket at Mei-Li

Since Monday, the past several days hadn't been like the ancient, happy, pleasant school days Mikoto once had. The gossip level didn't change, and neither did Mikoto's mood. Wherever she went, she always heard constant whispers about her. The rumors won't stop, and all it did was increase the popularity of her and Asou, and decrease her senpai-freshman relationship with the first-years.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, it was just like another repeat of the Monday Mikoto had experienced. Until Friday came, Mikoto was finally able to avoid school for the weekend. She had to go to work that day, and Tenma promised her that the the three of them would visit Mikoto later in the afternoon.

Mikoto's mind flashed back to their conversation with Mikoto about the part-time job:

"_Hey, Mikoto, can we visit you at Mei-Li later this afternoon? You'll be working your shift right?" Tenma asked, pigtails twitching lively as if they were moving on their own._

"_Mikoto, are you listening? What's wrong with you? This whole week you've been either dazing off or scowling at the ceiling!" Eri said, poking Mikoto's shoulder._

"_Huh? Oh right, sorry. All the talk around school has been kind of getting to me. You guys are all welcome to come! After all, I work there and you guys will be customers!" Mikoto snapped out of her state and turned to look at her friends._

"_Good idea, Sawachika. I would also like to see what kind of tea they serve in a Chinese restaurant!" Akira, who was the head of the school's tea club, agreed._

Mikoto soon turned to the rear side of Mei-Li. She let herself in through the backdoor, and immediately heard screams, laughter, and talking. Recognizing Suga's voice to be the loudest, Mikoto sighed and rushed into the staff room. Slipping into her uniform and taking a long, deep, breath, she exited the staff room and walked into the main room.

---

"Suou-senpai! Thank goodness you're here! I couldn't handle all these customers by myself!" Sara, overjoyed to see Mikoto's arrival, walked quickly over to where Mikoto stood.

"I'm sorry! Am I too late?" Mikoto said apologetically. She glanced around the room and spotted a huge table occupied by Yagami High's first-year girls. The table right next to the girls was full of Asou's friends, including Suga, and several other basketball team members. All of them were either talking, laughing together, or ordering Sara to bring them more drinks and food.

"I would like to order please!" A freshman girl yelled loudly.

Mikoto reluctantly took her notepad and went over to serve the girls

"What would you like to order?" she said with a forced smile.

The girl scanned Mikoto's uniform and leaned over to the girl next to her, "See? I told you Suou-senpai is working here only to attract Asou-senpai's attention!" she whispered.

Mikoto caught several words of it, and again she forced herself to smile and ask, "Excuse me, what would you like to _order_?"

"Oh right, _I'm sorry_," The girl turned to Mikoto, smirking, "I would like another pot of tea, please."

"Okay, I'll bring it to you right away." Mikoto said dryly, trying hard to take control of the pressure in her.

"Oh I forgot, I also want Asou-senpai too!" The girl added and giggled along with some other girls. "That was a joke by the way, if you didn't notice."

Mikoto was tempted to glare at her, but as a senpai and a waitress at Mei-Li, she just walked to the counter. _This is no different from school! Those freshmen, the second they hear something good about Asou, they just pounce for a chance to be close to him! _These thoughts were swimming around in Mikoto's head as she was preparing the tea. The bad mood came back to Mikoto again, and as she took the tea tray over to the waiting freshmen. She placed the teapot and the cups down firmly in front of the first-years, who looked temporarily shocked. _Heh, they shouldn't be so shocked, they've done worse things to other people! _

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Mikoto forced herself to smile once more, then departed from the table.

---

"Oi! Suou! Tell Asou to cook more ramen for us please!" Suga suddenly shouted out at Mikoto. Mikoto wearily walked over and wrote down Suga's order. She then walked over to Asou, who was in the kitchen wiping the stove with a dishtowel.

"Asou, Suga wants another serving of ramen!" She requested, placing the order form on the counter. Asou took a look at the piece of paper, sighed, and walked out of the kitchen. He headed to Suga's table and said,

"Suga this is your fifteenth bowl of ramen for this table, and you've been causing a racket in the restaurant again!"

"So what? This is a get-together! See, even the freshman girls from your fan club are here to see you!" Suga protested, standing up to face Asou.

"That's not the point! If you want ramen from this restaurant, then do the restaurant a favor and KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN!" Asou said, his voice sounded dangerous and cold. Hearing Asou's tone, Suga sat back down and did not talk.

"Ky-aaa! Asou came out of the kitchen! Come heeeeeere, Asou!" The freshmen girls, who noticed Asou's sudden appearance, began scooting their chairs over to Suga's table.

"So, Asou-senpai," The girl, whom Mikoto just served, said, her eyes sparkling, "Do you work here every weekend with Suou-senpai and Sara?"

"Uh, yes." Asou replied, unsure of how to reply to such a question.

"Kyaa-aa! Asou-senpai's so cool! He has so many people liking him, and he remains so calm! Even when he's scowling at Suga-senpai!" The girls squealed when Asou replied.

_It's as if they've never talked to him before, _Mikoto thought, watching the scene from the, what seemed to be the distant and faraway counter.

---

"Geez, what's with all the commotion in here?" Eri said as she opened the door to let Tenma and Akira in the restaurant.

"Sawachika! Tsukamoto! Takano! Thanks for coming and welcome to Mei Li!" Mikoto, who heard Eri's voice and thought an Angel of Peace had descended upon that annoying scene, hurried over to the door to welcome her friends.

"Wow! The food here smells so good!" Tenma said, taking a huge sniff of the air around her. Akira looked at her strangely and sat down at a vacant table near Suga's table.

"Mikoto, bring us some tea, please!" Eri said, pointing to the menu Mikoto just handed her.

"Okay!" Mikoto obeyed, more than happy to serve her friends. Heading toward the kitchen, Mikoto peered toward the massive group of freshmen and jocks. In it, Asou looked as if he wanted to escape from the mob, but he kept getting engaged in one of the girls' questions.

When Mikoto finished making the tea and was on her way back, the group was still at it, making the most noise in the entire restaurant. However, Mikoto simply avoided the freshmen's constant dark looks, Suga's disgusting habits, and crossed over to Eri's waiting table.

---

"Hey look! There's Sawachika!" Suga suddenly shouted, when he finally looked up from his table. When he was heard, a bunch of jocks immediately whipped their heads over to Eri's table.

"Wow! You're right! She's as beautiful and graceful as always too! I can't believe she's here of all places!"

"I wanted to ask her out this week, but she's always surrounded by her friends!"

"Yeah I know! This is my first time sitting this close to her too! I can't believe we're under the same roof as her!"

"ASOU! YOU GOT SAWACHIKA TOO? Is that why she's here? So she can see you too?" Suga bellowed in rage, "I'm so jealous! You already have Suou too!"

"Sawachika is one of Suou's best friends, that's why she's here, you idiot." Asou answered calmly.

"Heh! Who cares! Suou-senpai or Sawachika-senpai, they always get the boys' attention! What's so good about them anyway?" A freshman girl scoffed, loud enough for Eri to hear.

Er's pigtails swiped around, and she got up from her table. Heading toward the girls' table, her eyes fixed on the startled freshmen.

"Excuse me?" Eri patiently asked, "I expected more grace from the first years this year, especially the ones who currently have absolutely no chance in love too!" Her head jerked toward Asou's direction.

"Sawachika-senpai, you don't have to get all arrogant just because seven guys already asked you out this year!" The girl stood up and faced Eri.

"I smell a cat fight." Suga muttered as he sat back to watch the two girls argue.

"Who are you to talk? Asou already chose Mikoto! The school knows about it already (thanks to you, Suga)!" Eri shot back, her full attention was directed to the freshman now. "If you understand it now, you and your whole posse can just back off and quit messing with Mikoto!" _This is my personality if these guys change their minds about me! Who is this brat to talk back anyway? I mean, she has no right to go around and badmouth me or Mikoto! _

"Suou-senpai and Asou-senpai are not seeing each other! They're only working together in this restaurant!" The girl said with great uncertainty in her voice, "Plus, Suou-senpai's uniform, it's totally not her style!"

"What did you say? I know MIkoto Suou more than you do so I'm sure of the fact that Mikoto will never do such a thing!" Eri said firmly, slamming her hand down on the table.

The girl, startled by Eri's anger, sat down as if in defeat. "Fine," she said, "but don't forget, we are Asou-senpai's fan club and we always will be for the rest of high school!"

After she finished her cat-fight with Eri, the freshman turned her head back to her friends, leaving Eri standing there feeling a satisfying amount of triumph stir inside her.

---

The restaurant was silent for a moment, Mikoto just stood there, her eyes were wide open, and she was amazed at how Eri defended her toward that first year. _Eh…well….that's Sawachika all right! Can't believe she would go that far though….better not mess with her from now on! _

"Suou, it's almost time to close up! You can go back first and take a break now!" Asou broke into Mikoto's thoughts and gestured toward the back.

"Okay, thanks Asou!" Mikoto said gratefully and hurried to the back room.

---

"Asou! Man! You're so popular! WE all envy you, ya know that? That cat fight was practically over you!" Suga observed, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Shut up about that, and I might consider giving you free ramen next time you come!" Asou hissed furiously at Suga.

"DEAL!" Suga shouted, "C'mon you guys, we have to go! Asou's gonna close the place up soon!" They paid Sara, who was handling the register near the door, and unruly exited the restaurant.

"We'd better get going, Asou, please let Mikoto know as well!" Eri said, and winked at him. She gave an unfriendly look to the girl she just fought with, and took some money out of her bag. Placing the money down on the table, Tenma, Akira, and Eri stood up from their chairs and departed though the restaurant doors.

---

Mikoto came out from the staff room, dressed in her school uniform. When she stopped by the front to say goodbye to Asou and Sara, she noticed the fan girls were still there.

_What's up with them? Didn't they get enough from Eri's lecture? Those freshmen sure have guts! _

"Oh, Suou, you're finally done. Tsukamoto and the others just left, and Suga and his guys are also gone too." Asou said, "I'm going to close the place up, can you help me lift these chairs up onto the tables?"

"Sure…" Mikoto agreed and took the two chairs nearest to her. As she lifted the chairs onto the table, she spotted a girl still scowling at her.

_It looks like the hostility is still there! They're probably going to keep going at it until something new happens! _

"I'm going to go to the church now! I'll leave this place to you! Let's work hard tomorrow too!" Sara said, and left.

"We'd better get going to, I guess, c'mon girls let's go!" The girls put some money down on the table, and grabbed their bags from the chairs. After giving Asou a sweet wave and smile, they strolled out of the restaurant.

---

Mikoto, seeing them off, felt somewhat relieved. _They're finally gone, what a long afternoon….I dread for Monday now! _

"Hey, Asou! I'm going to go too, I'll leave the rest to you! I'll see you tomorrow...and I'm really sorry about all the commotion today." Mikoto lifted the last chair up and onto the table, then left without a moment of hesitation.

* * *

End of Chapter 3. Please review! Feedback would be really nice! 


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